Names and Numbers
by Ventus Furor
Summary: A new member, regained memories, and jelousy between friends. Wait, jealousy? Nobodies can't feel... Right? Bit of AxelxRoxas in this story, just so you know
1. Chapter 1: XIII and VIII

Names and Numbers

Chapter 1: XIII and VIII

"Darkness is what the world started as, Light came only after." said a deep voice.

"Darkness? Light? Who are you? What are you talking about?" said another.

"You will learn in due time, but first, you must awaken." said the first voice.

The boy slowly opened his eyes to find a black sky, cracked streets, and a single skyscraper with flickering screens. He blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things as he got up from the ground.

"Where am I?" he whispered to himself as he dusted off his jeans.

The boy then turned to find a single star-shaped pendant on a chain.

"Huh? What is this?" he asked.

He picked up the pendant to find a single sentence on it: THIS CHARM IS PROPERTY OF KHALIL.

"Khalil? Who-" he started.

But as soon as he started to say "Who is that?", he clutched his head as an image of boy about the same height as him flashed before his eyes. Although the_** other**_ boy's short hair and eyes were black, _**his**_ hair was long and slightly grey and he had eyes to match. Suddenly as soon as the image went away, the pendant began to glow and grow hot in his hand. He let it go, only to see it float in front of him and put six translucent letters in the air that spelt the word KHALIL. The letters then proceeded to spin in a circle around his head until a single "X" appeared in the middle of a new word: KLIXHAL.

"Klixhal…" he whispered.

The letters then disappeared into the pendant and it fell to the ground. He picked it up just before he spoke again.

"Klixhal…"he said louder.

Suddenly, an orb of darkness grew out of the ground behind Klixhal and two hooded figures walked out, one shorter than the other. They pulled down their hoods to reveal a 15 year old boy with spiky blonde hair and striking blue eyes, and a tall man with spiky red hair and striking green eyes.

"Hello Klixhal. My name is Roxas, Number XIII of the Organization." said the blonde one, pointing to himself.

"The man beside me is my partner Axel, Number VIII." he said, this time pointing to the tall one.

"Organization?" asked Klixhal.

"Yes, organization. We are here to recruit you." said Axel.

"Me? Recruit?" asked Klixhal.

"Yes, recruit! Geez, he's acting just like you did when you first joined, Roxas!" exclaimed Axel.

"Shut the hell up, Axel." muttered Roxas, who was looking at the ground.

Roxas then looked up at Klixhal to find him staring at the ground as well.

"So Klixhal, what do you say?" asked Axel.

"I guess so, I have no idea where I am, so my best option is to go with you two." replied Klixhal.

"Good! This kid is smart after all!" said Axel.

"Shut up, Axel." said Klixhal with a grin.

Axel blinked at the retort and shook his head, not believing what he just heard.

"Come with us Klixhal, we have some very important people to show you." said Roxas, who was grinning as well.

Roxas held out his hand, and another orb of darkness appeared out of the ground, and Klixhal, Roxas, and Axel all walked inside. But just as soon as Klixhal walked inside and heard Axel say: "Did he just make a comeback?", Klixhal's pendant fell out of his hand an onto the ground outside the orb.

"No, wait!" yelled Klixhal.

But it was too late, the orb sunk into the ground, and Klixhal was sucked into suffocating darkness, his mind on his lost pendant.

After what felt like hours, Klixhal suddenly felt ground under his feet. He looked up to find to find a humongous, white castle with multiple towers sticking out of it, and at the base were grey creatures with points for hands and feet, and zippers for mouths.

"What are those?" asked Klixhal.

"Nobodies, Dusks to be exact." replied Axel.

"What's a Nobody?" asked Klixhal.

"Well, if you want the _**detailed**_ explanation, you need to ask Vexen, he's the brainiac, but the basic gist of it is that if someone's heart is strong enough, they can create a bi-product of Light and Darkness, i.e.: a Nobody. Got it memorized?" said Axel.

"I-I don't understand…" said Klixhal.

"You will sooner or later. Anyway Klixhal, you are a Nobody. But the difference between you and the Dusks is that _**you**_ can retain your past memories as a Somebody… Or so I'm told." said Axel, looking at Roxas.

"But, I don't remember a thing." mumbled Klixhal.

"You don't?" exclaimed Roxas and Axel in unison.

"Well, not really. It comes back to me in bits and pieces…" said Klixhal.

"Weird, so did my memories…" whispered Roxas.

Quick to change the subject, Axel looks toward the castle and began walking to the entrance.

"Anyway, let's get inside the castle. We have a lot of explaining to do, and I don't wanna get on Saïx's bad side again. " said Axel.

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, where are we?" asked Klixhal.

"This, my friend, is The Castle That Never Was." said Roxas.

"The Castle That… Never Was?" asked Klixhal.

"Yeah, it's a long story. But if we get inside, we could explain it all to you, so let's get inside!" said Axel.

"Okay, okay." said Roxas.

As Axel and Roxas walked towards the Castle, Klixhal slowed down as he clutched his chest.

"What's this emptiness I feel?" he asked himself.

"YO! KLIXHAL!" yelled Axel.

"Huh?" asked Klixhal.

"You comin' or what?" said Axel.

"Oh, yeah!" yelled Klixhal.

And with that, Klixhal ran after Roxas and Axel into the Castle, glad he could talk to someone…

_**To be continued…**_

_**Authors Note: So guys, did you like it? I hope you did! Don't be afraid to press the review button! I welcome all criticisms and comments. Tell me if you want more. (If you don't, I'll make more anyway.)-Ventus Furor  
**_


	2. Chapter 2 Lock and Key

Lock and Key

**Roxas**

"So, you're our newest member… Klixhal, was it?" said Saïx.

"I am" said Klixhal.

It's a dark stormy day outside The Castle That Never Was, but that was normal seeing as this world was made without a heart. Or so I was told. I guess the castle was too, hence the name "The Castle That Never Was". I guess the castle is like me in a way: I don't have a heart either. In fact, no one in the castle does. Not me, not my best friend Axel, not even Klixhal.

"You'll be sharing a room with Roxas. I'm sure you two have gotten to know each other already." said Saïx.

Klixhal looked at me, and stared into his eyes and nodded. He then looked at Saïx and nodded.

"Good. Now I shall introduce you to our leader, Xemnas" said Saïx.

Wait, _**Xemnas**_? As in,_**our leader**_ Xemnas? No one, not even his right hand men got to meet Xemnas on their first day! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe Xaldin, Xigbar, and maybe even Vexen got to meet him on their first day—they did found the Organization after all—but I didn't! I'm the reason they're still around! Klixhal doesn't know it yet, but if he's going to see Xemnas on his first day, it's probably not good. I never felt so jealous! Wait… I've never felt anything actually. That's weird, Nobodies aren't supposed to feel anything! We need a heart to do that!

_**Calm down, Roxas**_**. **I think to myself.

"Hey, Tiger! The big boss man is requesting us in the chair room." said Xigbar.

I snap out of my trance to see a man with a single eye patch on his right eye. The sharp-shooter, Xigbar. God, I hate it when he calls me "Tiger".

"Don't call me that, Xigbar! You know I hate it!" I said.

"Okay, okay! No need to get to get antsy!" said Xigbar with a wink.

I sigh as I walk to the white double-doors with the Nobodies sign on them: A somewhat heart-shaped-cross-thingy. That's the most I could tell, anyway. I push the doors open and walk to Where Nothing Gathers, or as Xigbar put it, "The Chair Room." Funny, that's _**exactly **_what it is.

"There is a problem. The Heartless population has dropped again recently" announced Saïx.

"_**Again?"**_ whispered Klixhal to me.

"Yeah," I reply. "It's been happening a lot recently" I say more to myself than to Klixhal.

Saïx turns to Number VIII, my best friend Axel and says in his most quiet and calm voice possible:

"Lea, can you take the new member and 'Show him the ropes' so to speak?"

I burst out laughing at the worst possible moment, because Axel gives me his creepiest I'm-Gonna-Murder-In-Your-Sleep look that shuts me right up. For about a second. Lea? That was his Somebody's name? The thought of it just shocks me.

_**Oh no. There I go, feeling again. I'm not supposed to do that!**_ I think to myself.

"Sure thing… Isa." replied Axel.

Saïx's turn to be embarrassed.

"Fair enough." he says.

And that's the end of that.

I stare up at the ceiling in my room thinking of all things that happened recently. I learned Axel and Saïx's true names, the Heartless population dropped again, and I can feel things. _**I can FEEL things.**_ I repeat that sentence over and over gain in my head just to make sure I haven't gone crazy. Just as I'm about to repeat it for what seemed like the hundredth time, Demyx rushes—Yes, rushes—into my room.

"Roxy, Axel and Saïx are fighting!" exclaimed Demyx.

I roll my eyes and turn to face him.

"Not surprised. Any other news?" I say.

"Uh, yeah! They're using weapons!" he yells.

I bolt out of my bed and run past Demyx.

When I reached the main hall, I saw what I expected, Axel winning. Why am I not surprised?

"Stop!" booms the voice of Xemnas through the walls.

"Fine, you're not worth the challenge anyway…" said Axel, spitting every word in Saïx's face.

Axel walks past me without looking at me, but I see his eyes: Wild.

"Axel, What—" I started.

"Nothing" he says.

Klixhal runs over to me, from where, I couldn't care less.

"What the hell happened here?" said Klixhal, staring at the blood on the once-clean white floor.

"I'll tell you tomorrow" I say.

I walk back to my room, hoping that everything will be better tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3: Façade

Chapter 3

Façade

Axel 

_Did you see me Roxas? I tried to make it look so real, even Xemnas would have believed it! _I said.

_You bet, Axel! Your acting's great! I really believed you hated Saïx! _He said.

We both laughed. I don't want this to end. We sat on the roof of the Twilight Town bell tower, like we normally do at the end of a mission. And like usual, we're eating our favorite ice cream: Sea Salt.

_But Axel, do you… Hate me?_

_What? Of course not Roxas! Why would I hate you? You're my best friend! _

He waited before responding, as usual. He's so cute when he does that. His bright blue eyes down, his lower lip trembling slightly… I love it.

_Yeah, you're right! We are best friends! Best friends forever! _He said.

_Right… Forever…_

I awake in my bed alone, as I always do. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Well, except for that dream. I don't normally dream because I need to be whole to do that, but this was strange. To start, I've been having this dream pretty often, ever since the new guy-Klixhal, right?-got here. And the dream always ends the same: Roxas tells me we're best friends forever, and then I wake up alone in my bed. Where else would I wake up I guess, but every time, I FEEL alone. I don't get it. Why do I suddenly feel this way for Roxas? I've never felt this way for him before, so why now? Come to think of it, I've never felt _anything_ before. Should I tell someone? I think I should, but who would I tell? I absolutely can't tell Roxas, he'll think I'm crazy! Keep your cool Axel, Nobodies can't feel, you're just imagining it. Xigbar would just insult me,-Not like he doesn't enough already,-so that only leaves the big boss himself, Xemnas. He seems to be the only logical person to tell this to. I can't let anyone know what happened except for Xemnas.

"Hey, Axel!" Roxas says.

"Hello Roxas." I reply.

"…What's the matter? You seem kinda down. Are you okay?" he asked.

Okay Axel, keep your cool. Don't tell him what you dreamt of. DO NOT TELL HIM WHAT YOU DREAMT OF.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a weird dream, that's all." I say.

"Really? What was it about?" he asks.

"Uh…" I start.

Alright Axel, you can do this. Just tell him it was nothing, and then race to Xemnas' room. On three… 1…2…3!

"Uh… I gotta go!" I yell, racing off.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you going?" he called.

"Can't talk, gotta go!" I yelled.

"Okay… See you soon, I guess." he says.

Way to keep your cool, Axel.

"Phew! I made it!" I say.

That was WAY too close. I gotta try harder to keep my cool next time.

The door to Xemnas' room was probably the biggest part of the hallway, if not the entire castle. Instead of a door handle like the rest of the regular doors, this one had the insignia of a Nobody in its place. To enter, one would put their hand on the insignia and mutter "Open". But this was a custom-made spell, so it only worked for Xemnas. But hey, that's Xemnas for you; Always trying to feel more important than the rest of us.

I look up at the door and try to guess HOW important Xemnas must want to feel to have a door THIS big. Oh well, it's only common courtesy to knock first. As I raise my hand to the door, I hear Xemnas' voice on the other side say "Come in, Axel". Whatever you say, boss. I push the door open and see Xemnas looking out his window, probably remembering how close he was to finishing off Sora back in Castle Oblivion.

"What is it, Axel?" he asks.

"Boss, I… I think I might be starting to feel." I say.

Now that I think about it, it sounds REALLY stupid telling it to him.

"Hmm… Yes, you're not the only one." He responds.

"What?! You mean others have told you?" I ask, shocked.

"Yes, Demyx and Xaldin to be exact." he says.

"What did they say?"

"Well, Demyx says he feels happy, while Xaldin says he feels uncontrollable sadness, like he failed and won't ever forget it."

"…"

"And they all say they felt it after our newest member joined the Organization."

I stare at the floor, too shocked to speak. Demyx feeling happy? Xaldin feeling sad? It makes no sense! Nobodies aren't supposed to feel, yet here we are, FEELING.

"Tell me, Axel. What do you feel?" he asks.

"C…Compassion, sir." I murmur.

"I see. And is this compassion directed towards anyone in particular?"

Don't tell him it's Roxas, DON'T TELL HIM IT'S ROXAS!

"No, sir. No one."

He looks me in the eyes with a look that make you think he's looking into your soul. Don't think, just stare back.

"I believe," he starts.

"I believe it's time you paid a visit to our new member, Axel."

"Me? Why me?"

"Why not?" he says.

"Alright, then. See you later, I guess." I say, exiting the room.

"Goodbye, Axel." He says.

Closing the door behind me, I start to walk to Roxas' room. I heard they shared a room. On the way, a single thought kept bubbling up in my head: I guess I'm off to see the wizard. I laugh at the thought. I wonder what tricks he has up his sleeve.


End file.
